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How long is Borderlands 3?

Gearbox’s long-anticipated sequel is here, but how long will it take to beat it and get to the endgame?

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How long is Borderlands 3? Or, at least, how long will it take to beat the main story? As games shift towards the games-as-a-service model, we’ve found ourselves darting to the endgame. That’s where we typically spend most of our time in the months following the game’s release, and Gearbox’s looter shooter is no exception. Besides, we’re pretty busy these days, so it’s nice to know how big a game is before buying a copy.

There are plenty of reasons to be buzzed for Borderlands 3, too, as critical consensus has gotten off to a solid enough start. Not everyone has got code, so we don’t have a full picture yet as our own Borderlands 3 review isn’t up. Nevertheless, it’s sitting on an 85 on Opencritic and Metacritic. The general take seems to be that if you like Borderlands then you’ll enjoy this one, too. If you’re not a fan of the series, however, this is unlikely to sway you.

As we’ve said previously, we don’t have code at this moment, but that won’t deter our search for truth. We’ve combed through the current reviews for mentions of playtime, both in regards to the main campaign, side bobbins, and endgame. Sn on that note, here’s how long Borderlands 3 is.

How long does it take to beat Borderlands 3?

You can expect to reach Borderlands 3’s endgame after 30 hours or play. That comes from PCGamer’s review, which reports it took roughly that long to get through the main campaign, side quests, and hit the level cap. Of course, you may be able to trim that time down if you’re blasting the main campaign alone or leveling like it’s WoW Classic. This lines up roughly with Forbes’ review, which claims the same amount of progress takes between 25 and 27 hours.

Going further, Forbes’ says that the ultimate endgame for Borderlands 3 will be running Proving Grounds on the hardest difficulty. The wave-based mode is apparently like Diablo 3’s rifts as you race against the clock to kill enemies and a boss. There are bonuses given for quick times and flawless runs, too. Don’t expect to do that anytime soon, though, as Forbes says that even 60-70 hours in and that task is still proving elusive.

And there you have it, that’s how long it will take you to complete Borderlands 3. If you’re going through the main campaign with the intent of enjoying all that there is to see, you can expect to clock up 25-30 hours of playtime. The endgame, however, may take upwards of 60 hours to even access.